Yamaha Motor to Open Advanced Technology Center in Yokohama
— Advanced Technology Development Hub for Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and IT Fields —
IWATA, May 30, 2018—Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo:7272) announced today that it will open the Yamaha Motor Advanced Technology Center in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The Center aims to further advanced technology development in the robotics, artificial intelligence, and IT fields, recruit and develop advanced human resources, and promote open innovation.
As a hub for development of advanced technology such as AI/IoT, motion control, and image processing in the robotics field, Yamaha Motor plans for the Center to progressively commit, recruit, and develop advanced specialist human resources in each field in order to promote next-generation robotics technology development as well as utilization of technology from the artificial intelligence and IT fields, such as data science and digital marketing.
At the same time, Yamaha Motor is also positioning the Center as a hub for open innovation, promoting linkages and collaboration with companies, universities, and research institutions which possess knowledge and strengths in advanced technology fields.
Yamaha Motor has put forth “growth in the solutions business field” and “advancement of the development of foundational technology” as key themes among the growth strategies in the Medium-Term Management Plan, and has thus been working to strengthen development in the elemental technologies of robotics, artificial intelligence, and IT. Through the opening of the new Center, Yamaha Motor will actively promote the gathering of information relating to various advanced technologies, strengthening of collaboration with related companies and universities, and taking advantage of the Center’s location to recruit and develop advanced technology human resources.
Facility Overview
Building Name: Yamaha Motor Advanced Technology Center
Location: 8th Floor, Shin-Yokohama No. 3 Tōshō Building,
3-9-5 Shin-Yokohama, Kōhoku Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture (a 7-minute walk from JR Shin-Yokohama Station)
Floor area: Approx. 360m2
Planned Opening Date: June 14, 2018
Center Manager: Kazuhiro KOBAYASHI (Advanced Engineering Division,
Robotics Business Unit)
Number of Personnel Planned to be Allocated: Within 2018: Approximately 15;
Within 2021: Approximately 50
Divisions: Advanced Engineering Division, Robotics Business Unit/
Digital Strategy Division, Advanced Technology Center
Details of Activities: Advanced development in the robotics field
(Advanced robotics fields including AI, IoT, motion control, and image processing)
Technology utilization and business proposals in the artificial intelligence and IT fields
(Technology development in fields such as data science and digital marketing)
Related Information
Yamaha Motor Recruitment Information https://global.yamaha-motor.com/jp/recruit/
[Reference] Yamaha Motor’s Robotics Business, Products, and Activities
1 Main Robotics Products
– Surface Mounters https://global.yamaha-motor.com/business/smt/
Surface mounters are devices that mount electronic components on the printed circuit boards contained in the electrical components of mobile phones and automobiles. In addition to a rich product range which can be customized to suit particular customer requirements, Yamaha Motor also sells a full line-up of circuit board mounting equipment, including solder paste printers, dispensers, and testing systems. In addition, the IoT/M2M integration system supports high-efficiency mounting by enabling remote maintenance and mobile monitoring of multiple production lines from off-site locations.
– Industrial Robots https://global.yamaha-motor.com/business/robot/
The Yamaha Motor industrial robots lineup features a wide variety of products, from single-axis to articulated robots, contributing to the automation of production processes in many fields such as the automobile, electrical, and electronics industries. In 2016, Yamaha Motor released its “Advanced Robotics Automation Platform” which can integrate control of entire production lines and deliver fully-digital production facilities. In 2017, Yamaha Motor began joint development of remote management systems for industrial robots with Yamaha Corporation, which has strengths in industrial routers.
– Industrial Unmanned Systems (Unmanned Helicopters/Industrial Drones) https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/motorsports/pages/precision-agriculture
Since undertaking the development of unmanned helicopters for agricultural chemical spraying in the 1980s, Yamaha Motor has worked on the modernization of Japanese agriculture as well as the expansion of surveying and observation work, and in recent years has also been promoting use in overseas agricultural markets. The operational stability support systems and attitude control technology which delivers excellent controllability and stability in flight are core technologies developed by Yamaha Motor. In 2018, Yamaha Motor began limited sales of industrial drones primarily aimed at spraying agricultural chemicals.
– Cell Picking and Imaging System (Medical Research Device) https://global.yamaha-motor.com/business/hc/
The CELL HANDLER is a medical research device which applies ultra-high-speed and high-precision pick & place technology from surface mounters. With speed and precision difficult for conventional manual processes to match, the CELL HANDLER extracts the target cells one by one and creates a digital image of each, with the aim of contributing to advancements such as the research and development of new pharmaceuticals and achieving personalized healthcare.
– Yamaha Motor is an official partner in the GP League, a programming competition with the aim of supporting improved programming skills among elementary school students
Yamaha Motor is participating as an official partner in the GP League Programming Coliseum, a programming competition for elementary school students to support programming experience activities for the children who will be the next generation of innovators. Specifically, Yamaha Motor is planning to support event operation by developing educational materials, supervising the GP League competition, etc.
2 Business Overview
The Yamaha Motor Industrial Machinery & Robots Business is experiencing growing sales of products such as high-speed multi-function surface mounters and the high-value-added Advanced Robotics Automation Platform.
In addition, the new Hamamatsu Robotics Building (opened in March 2017) has become operational, significantly increasing the production and unit sales of surface mounters and industrial robots.
3 Yamaha Motor’s Robotics Technology History
1974 Begins industrial robot research and development
1976 Introduces SCARA robots to Yamaha Motor motorcycle production lines
1984 Begins industrial robot sales
1987 Begins surface mounter sales
1989 Begins industrial-use unmanned helicopters sales
1996 Releases automatic driving golf cars for golf courses
2013 Establishes sales subsidiary for industrial machinery and robots in Suzhou City, China
2014 Begins development of the MOTOBOT autonomous motorcycle-riding robot
2015 Establishes the new business development subsidiary “Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley Inc”.
Obtains authorization for operation of remote-controlled flight from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for industrial-use unmanned helicopters
2016 Releases the YHX Series, the total production line integrated controller (PLC)
Participates in and provides vehicles for experiments for automatic driving on public roads (Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture)
2017 Consolidates production, development and sales bases to the newly-established Hamamatsu Robotics Building
Exhibits at the CeBIT2017 (international information and communication technology trade show)
Dispatches a technician to Team KUROSHIO, a team participating in an international competition for seabed exploration by unmanned underwater robots
Releases the CELL HANDLER cell handling device
Holds lap time challenge between motorcycle world champion Valentino Rossi and MOTOBOT
Announces the MOTOROiD autonomous motorcycle
Participates in and provides vehicles for demonstration experiments of automatic driving on public roads with compact electric-powered vehicles (six locations around Japan)
Begins development of inter-factory remote management systems (factory IoT infrastructure platform) in collaboration with Yamaha Corporation
2018 Exhibits at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
Begins limited sales of industrial-use multicopters (drones)
Exhibits for the first time at HANNOVER MESSE, the world’s leading industrial trade fair
Participates in the GP League programming competition for the children who will be the future generation of innovators
[Reference] Yamaha Motor Robotics (Introductory Video)
To a Future Created by Robotics (1:48) https://youtu.be/hdq3JRLGmHs
[Reference] Examples of Application of Yamaha Motor’s Advanced Technology
MOTOBOT (Autonomous Motorcycle-Riding Robot): https://youtu.be/mafJmMGGOXk
MOTOROiD (Autonomous Motorcycle): https://youtu.be/m97C_zTCzPI